Not only one has problems finding trustworthy mechanics in this country, but you cannot even rely on an electrician to fix your radio.
I am having problems with my car radio, whereas the sound is just going off for no reason and randomly. After asking around, I went to a place in Dekwaneh that is assumingly good. I told him what my problem was and he told me he needs 3 hours to figure out what’s wrong, as it could be from the Amplifier, the radio, the CD box or the cabling.
He then took out his Mercedes scanner, which is surprisingly found at most mechanics even though it should cost a fortune, and started checking out the defects. Some 20 minutes ( 3a 2asses 3 hours) later, he unplugs the cd box and takes it out and tells me to drive around for a bit and let him know if the problem persists. Ten minutes later, I come back and tell him the problem is still there.
Next thing he does is take out the radio as well and put a used one he had and asks me to try it and get back to him on Monday.
The radio he put worked fine and I came back on Monday to see what happened with my radio. He tells me the radio processor is messed up (processor is screwed) and can’t be fixed; therefore I have to change it. I ask him how much does a new one cost and he answers back 130$.
Afterwards, I asked him to put everything back in place and told him I will get back to him as I wasn’t convinced about this whole processor thing. Funny thing is that as he was putting the cd box back, all the cds were not in place, turns out he was playing my cds on his stereo!
That was 3 weeks ago, since then my radio started working normally with few cuts from time to time and the cd box which was working fine is disfunctional now!
There is another guy which I was told about in Beirut which I will give a try next.
Is it so damn hard for Lebanese to do their jobs properly without cheating or stealing? All I want is a professional who doesn’t charge me some 800$ for a new radio like the Mercedes garage does in Lebanon or messes up my radio and cd box like this guy did.
I’d say the best solution is to pick up a few books and learn to do it yourself, cause what you just described up there is pretty much a lost cause.
Good luck though
True but who has time for such things?
The problem isn’t just in Lebanon, it’s everywhere this is why I try my best to do it myself.
When it rains my cd player in car(Saab, all audio equipment is stock) stops working. Once everything dries out it seems to decide to work. The person I bought the car had the same problem but when he took it to the dealership he was told to take it to a radio place as it needed to be worked on by a Clarion tech…he just gave up and let it be, which is what I am going to do for now. There’s just no consistency in a lot of things that should be easy enough. Feel your pain.
Hi Najib, try “Bannout for sound systems” he is located in 2ouza3i, he is one of the best audio installations in lebanon
You should try Aframos, Obtis obtis…. no really, if you make time for it, surf some forums and do it yourself.
My advice is the following;
Go to a used M.B spare parts shop in the Jdeideh industrial city, Teyrouz I hear is a good one. try to find a similar Radio Unit, it should be cheaper, and try to haggle a bit. chances are the Stock CD box will work on that one too. again if you ahve time do the swap yourself, but there is a guy just ahead of Teyrouz northwards (can’t remember the name) that is a M.B electrician, he’s know to be good and fair. He fixed a simple central lock issue on a friend’s car and didn’t charge, means he doesn’t want to swindle anyone, and is quite honest, because i didn’t know him at the time, and still he didn’t take advantage of that.
but what i would say is, get yourself a new age Sony Xplod aftermarket unit with a USB aux input, it would cost you the same as a used M.B stock unit and possibly it’s better, and will add a change to your interior…something to fiddle with…
Najib i think he replaced your CD-box with a defective one and he will sell yours, that’s why you haven’t found your CD’s and it’s not working anymore and this is the reason why we pay more money at the dealership for a good service and they don’t steal or replace your good parts with bad ones…….